Stepford Wife is a term that remains common in the British language - here's its origin

What is a Stepford Wife?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a Stepford Wife as: "a woman who does not behave or think in an independent way, always following the accepted rules of society and obeying her husband without thinking."

People often use it to describe submissiveness in relationships.

This term was inspired by the book and film The Stepford Wives.

In the plot of this work, the women are frighteningly submissive and almost robot-like.

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The term has submissive and robot-like connotations

What did Louise Redknapp mean when she used the term Stepford Wife?

When Louise Redknapp confirmed she was living apart from husband Jamie in a candid interview in October, confessing that she "still loves him" but needs to follow her dreams.

During the intimate chat, the star said she began feeling like a "Stepford Wife" because she was constantly putting others before herself.

Louise added: "I have spent most of my life pleasing everyone else, worrying about being judged and thinking I should always do the right thing by staying at home, looking after my kids and my husband. I lost myself."

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Louise Redknapp used the premise of the book as a metaphor for her marriage

She added: "‘I’d think of my past life as a pop star as being “not reality”. Looking after the house and my family was my reality.

"I became a sort of Stepford Wife, wanting to be perfect at it...

"I didn’t want to continue running around after everyone else, and occasionally promoting a yogurt or doing a little TV presenting job.

"I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform... And that is when the s*** hit the fan."